Dunne finished in the top 28 to advance to next Thursday’s qualifier at The Golf Club at Rancho California in Murrieta.

Mission Viejo’s Brittany Farrell won the tournament with a 6-under 66. Bethany Wu, of Diamond Bar, and Erin Choi, from West Torrance, tied at 68, but Wu won a playoff to earn second-place honors.

La Reina junior Divya Manthena finished with a 76, one stroke away from advancing to the next round.

Two years ago as a freshman playing in the same event at the same course, Manthena shot a 76 and was able to advance.

In the team competition, Walnut and Diamond Bar finished in a tie for first with scores of 370. Walnut earned the title because their sixth player’s score was lower than Diamond Bar’s sixth.

Mira Costa finished third at 387 while Mater Dei grabbed the fourth spot with a score of 388.

After failing to advance beyond the CIF-SS finals a year ago, Dunne is elated to be moving on this year.

“It’s really cool,” Dunne said. “It’s exciting because it shows me that I am improving and taking my game to the next level.

“The players in this tournament are some of the top juniors in Southern California, so being able to compete with them gives me a boost in confidence.”

Dunne said the highlight of her round was a birdie on the par-4 18th hole.

Dunne’s tee shot ended up in a fairway bunker. Undaunted, she took out her 5-iron and knocked her ball 10 feet from the pin. She converted the putt, giving her a huge boost of momentum.

“I hit my irons good all day,” Dunne said. “I hit a lot of fairways and greens, but unfortunately I struggled with my putting and wasn’t able to convert many of my birdie chances. I was reading the greens fine but I struggled with the speed of them.”

Manthena said she also struggled with her putting. The talented junior failed to make a birdie, despite numerous opportunities.

“There were several times when I put the ball on the wrong side of the pin,” Manthena said. “Even when I hit it close, I’d hit it above the hole where I wasn’t able to really get aggressive with the putt. It was a little frustrating. I left a lot of putts short.”

All season Dunne has told herself that she’s in control of her performance.

“I feel like how I do is based on how well I can apply the abilities I have,” Dunne said. “I’ve been able to do pretty well with that so far this year.”